Three reasons why the Cowboys’ season came to an ugly end
The day after the Dallas Cowboys’ season came to an ugly end, the locker room at The Star was empty.
The team’s last availability of the season didn’t offer much in the way of player reaction to Saturday’s 30-22 divisional playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Only a few players were available, including safety Jeff Heath, who tried his best to explain how the Rams dominated the Cowboys’ defense like few other teams did in 2018. Only one team gained more yards than the Rams’ 459 (Texans’ 462) against the Dallas defense and no team has rushed for more yards against the Cowboys in seven years.
The three biggest Dallas disappointments from Saturday’s loss:
1. Defensive line letdown
The biggest surprise of the night was just how dominating the Rams’ offensive line was against the Cowboys’ defensive line. Quarterback Jared Goff was pressured one time the entire game and that was linebacker Jaylon Smith. Dallas’ defensive line was overwhelmed. Defensive end and team sack leader DeMarcus Lawrence had three tackles, including one for a loss, but was largely a non-factor. The Rams rushed for 273 yards, the most Dallas has allowed since the Redskins had 274 on Dec. 30, 2012.
2. Dak didn’t run
Perhaps their first possession did them no favors in the long run. The Cowboys scored quickly on a seven-play drive when Amari Cooper took a pass over the middle 29 yards for a touchdown. Their next four possessions ended in punts and only once did they get into Rams’ territory. Dak Prescott only ran the ball twice and those didn’t come until late in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys lost all four games Prescott rushed two or fewer times in ‘18.
3. Star linebackers dimmed
The Cowboys’ star linebackers did not force their will on the Rams. If anything, they were pushed around. Rookie Leighton Vander Esch had only four tackles, tied for his fewest since becoming a starter. Jaylon Smith led the team with nine tackles, including the lone quarterback hurry of the game. But it was far from a dominating performance. Sean Lee played more than he had in the previous month but didn’t fare much better.
This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 7:00 AM.
